John relays to his mother a litany of things that his "no-good" younger sibling is good for, and along the way realizes that he really does love the baby. ( )

We catch a glimpse of the world as he knows it: John, that is, who has recently become and older brother. The baby, he decides after awhile, is a no-good baby. She chews his toys, naps when he would like to bang his drum; the baby is basically good for nothing except getting in the way and making life difficult. John tells his mother that it's time for the no-good baby to GO. He points out all the good reasons why no-good baby's time is up; she's messy, loud, and requires too much effort. John is surprised when his mother actually agrees with him, and says that if the no-good baby is as much trouble as all that, then it IS time for her to go. As John celebrates and helps his mom pack a suitcase for the baby to take to her "new home" (at Grandma's) he takes note of a few of the things the no-good baby *IS* good for--for instance, the baby is good for torturing the family's cat so that he, the big brother, is easily the cat's favorite kid. And then, the baby's good for being loud at the library so that John is always the "quiet one". John rather enjoys racing with his new baby sister since he's always sure to win. And as much as it annoys John when his little sister pulls his hair, her hair-pulling habit sure comes in handy when John's friend Timmy comes over and refuses to share toys. When it's time for no-good baby to make the trek to Grandma's, John asks if no-good baby is going to Grandma's "forever," and, since forever IS a really long time, decides that maybe no-good baby should just spend one day at Grandma's instead, and then come home. Until then, he is excited that he gets to spend one full day alone with his mother, just the two of them, without the no-good baby.

This is a great book for the younger children who are preparing to become older brothers or sisters for the first time. It points out the ways that a baby can be a bother, but also follows John as he comes to the realization, on his own, that a baby in the house isn't all bad. I'm not sure that I would find this book particularly useful in the classroom, but it may catch the eye of a child who is adjusting to life with a new baby at home. Ultimately I feel that this is a book more for parents who are looking for picture books to illustrate the changes that come with a new baby and to help parents to ease their older children into their role as an older brother or sister.

John tells his mother all of the things that the no good baby is not good for. As he does this he realizes that she is good for a few things. ( )

John is fed up with his baby sister! He seems to think she is good for nothing until he starts to pack her things and talks about the no good things she does to other people besides him. John does not like it when the baby pulls his hair, falls asleep when he is ready to play his drum, and play cards. John only thinks that when she does these things to other people, she is good for it because it affects him in a positive way. If the baby races him, she loses. When the baby pulls the cat's tail, the cat ends up liking John better. Sometimes parents need to realize that every one of their children deserve attention from them equally. Parents need to divide their time equally among their multiple children. John seems like he is ready for some attention of his own that does not need to be altered because of his baby sister. He realizes in the end that he does not really want his baby sister to leave, but to just leave for the day, so he and his mother can spend some mother and son time together. ( )